Tag: Pete Hegseth

a new outrage

Vote for Democracy #61

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

There have been so many outrageous horrors from the Trump administration that it has been impossible to chronicle and comment on them all, but one of the latest ones has sparked a lot of public discussion, so I wanted to post about it.

Last week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that the execution of Nidal Hasan, who was found guilty in the shooting at Fort Hood in 2009 by a military tribunal, would be livestreamed for the public. The plan is that Hasan will be executed by military firing squad at Fort Hood on Dec. 3rd. Adding to the horror is that fact that Hasan is paralyzed from the waist down, a result of the police response to the shooting, and uses a wheelchair.

I have opposed the death penalty since I was a child on moral grounds and my church and many other faith-based and human rights groups also publicly oppose it as an affront to human dignity. It has been shown not to be a deterrent to crime. There is also the fear that, because Hasan was motivated by Muslim radicalization, Islamist extremist groups would use his public execution as a rallying point to recruit more members and carry out attacks.

We also should not look at suffering, pain, and death as entertainment. Part of the reason that there have not been public executions in the United States since the 1930s was that they sometimes turned into public spectacle, echoing history such as the torture and killings in the Roman Coliseum. Nearly all countries in the world have outlawed capital punishment and the few that do allow it usually keep it out of public view. Most videos of people being executed in recent times are of terrorist groups killing their hostages.

I believe that death sentences should be commuted to life in prison. The community is protected and the state does not itself commit murder, interrupting the cycle of violence and recognizing human dignity. There will probably be legal action to block the livestreaming of the execution and also to delay it. It is even more complicated than other death penalty cases because it came through the military rather than civil court system. Perhaps, the administration will listen to the outcry and change their plans.

We can hope.

The Six Triple Eight

During World War II, mail between service members and their loved ones was crucial for morale but delivery mechanisms broke down in Europe, resulting in millions of pieces of mail being stuffed into airplane hangars in Scotland.

Meanwhile, the 6888th Women’s Army Corps (WAC) battalion has been trained to an exemplary level but, despite their level of excellence, has not been assigned because it is comprised of Black and mixed-race women.

Finally, they are assigned the seemingly impossible task to go to Scotland and clear the backlog within six months. Under the command of Major Charity Adams, they use their training, skills, creativity, experience, and intelligence to complete the task in under three months. They then are deployed to France, where they clear a similar backlog.

This amazing history has now been brought to the screen, thanks to Tyler Perry, who directed and co-produced the film and wrote the script, based on an article by Kevin Hymel. Kerry Washington delivers a strong performance as the formidable Major Adams, with Ebony Obsidian touchingly portraying Lena Derriecott King, a servicemember of the 6888th who is grieving the loss of a friend who was killed in action.

While the film was released in theaters in December, most people are probably going to view it now via Netflix.

I wanted to lift up this film today in particular because the United States is commemorating the 95th birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. A major figure in the area of civil rights, especially for Black Americans, King was assassinated at the age of 39.

I appreciated that the film includes the later history of the women of the Six Triple Eighth. Given the racism and sexism they faced, recognition of their work was long delayed.

In 2023, a military base in Virginia was re-named Fort Gregg-Adams in honor of Lt. Col. Charity Adams and Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg, the first time Black Americans had been so honored. This was part of an initiative to finally remove the names of Confederate officers from United States military bases.

I am appalled that Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, wants to undo the re-naming. Some other Republicans have agreed.

No.

We need to recognize, lift up, and celebrate leaders like Charity Adams.

Thank you to Tyler Perry, Kerry Washington, and all who were involved with The Six Triple Eight for bringing this inspiring story to the public.
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SoCS: DT’s Cabinet picks

So, yikes! Going to try to post for Stream of Consciousness Saturday with a political post…

Linda’s prompt this week is “pack/peck/pick/pock/puck” and the first thing that popped into my head was the hearings in the US Senate over the past week for President-elect Trump’s Cabinet picks.

The scariest hearing so far has been for DT’s pick for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth. While he is a military veteran, he is best known for being a host on Fox News. Unfortunately, he is also known for public drunkenness, misogyny, and mismanagement of charitable organizations. His defense against this evidence was that the accusations against him were “anonymous smears” even though many of them are on public record and that he has now found Jesus and is happy with his third wife and won’t drink if he becomes Defense Secretary.

While I sincerely hope that Mr. Hegseth has mended his ways and retains his new-found maturity and sobriety – or potential sobriety, as I don’t think he said that he has stopped drinking yet – this is not a person whose history suggests he is capable of managing over 3 million employees and a $1 trillion budget. (Apologies if I’m misremembering the figures. Stream of consciousness writing does not allow for side research.)

The vote on his nomination, first on the committee before whom he testified and then, if he passes that, by the full Senate, has not yet been scheduled. I would hope that such an unqualified individual would not be confirmed but the Republicans do hold the Senate majority, so it’s entirely possible.

I’m afraid.
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